East Ridge Police: "Grinch" on the loose, holiday mail stolen from Post Office

East Ridge Police said a "Grinch" is on the loose after the Post Office was vandalized and mail was stolen from inside.

It's a busy time of year for all types of mail deliveries and police say people should take extra precautions to keep their own holiday gifts safe.

A police report said someone went to the post office overnight on December 11th to 12th and pried open more than 40 P.O. Boxes inside.

Up until this incident, doors to the P.O. Boxes were left unlocked so people could access their mail at all times.

Police found mail had been taken out of its boxes, opened, sorted through, and the suspect(s) took what they believed to be most valuable. Most of the mail was found in nearby trash cans and police were able to remove fingerprints from several Christmas cards.

The report said negotiable checks of various amounts, worth thousands of dollars, were found in the trash.

Police spoke with Postal Investigator Diane Bracken who said another Post Office on East Brainerd Road had been burglarized the same night. They believe surveillance video from that location can help lead to an arrest.

East Ridge Police said on Friday, "the Grinch is still on the loose." They have no leads on a possible suspect.

At the East Ridge Post Office, the doors will now be locked after hours, people can only get their mail if someone is at work.

Police said this is also the time of year when more packages go missing from front porches and homes.

The best thing to do to protect your belongings is to track your packages closely, and check your mail daily. And if you know you will be out of town, you can make arrangements with the post office to hold onto your mail.